Warmer temps, offshore wind gusts elevate Bay Area fire weather risk

A warming trend in the Bay Area coinciding with offshore winds are bringing an elevated fire risk to parts of the Bay Area, forecasters warned.The National Weather Service said in its daily forecast discussion that elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions are a concern in higher elevations of the North Bay interior mountains and East Bay hills, which will see exceptionally dry air and poor overnight moisture recovery through Friday. The strongest gusts are expect in the North Bay, with peak wind gusts topping 40 miles an hour, the weather service said.KPIX First Alert Weather: Current conditions, alerts, maps for your areaPacific Gas and Electric has alerted to possible public safety power shutoffs in Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, Alameda, and Solano counties because of the weather conditions. Farther north in Lake County, the weather service has issued a red flag warning from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, and a fire weather watch from late Thursday night through Friday afternoon.